nm-applet icon disappears from menu bar requiring 'sudo service network-manager stop; sudo service network-manager start' to get back.

[Sean Sosik-Hamor]

Occasionally when changing Wi-Fi networks the nm-applet icon in the menu bar will disappear and require a reboot to get back. On previous releases I could simply killall nm-applet; nm-applet & and it would reappear but that workaround no longer works.

Find my self rebooting at least once every two days because I lose nm-applet. This problem seemed to start upon upgrading to Vivid.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 15.04
Package: network-manager-gnome 0.9.10.1-0ubuntu4
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.19.0-16.16-generic 3.19.3
Uname: Linux 3.19.0-16-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.17.2-0ubuntu1
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: Unity
Date: Fri May 15 14:21:15 2015
IfupdownConfig:
 # interfaces(5) file used by ifup(8) and ifdown(8)
 auto lo
 iface lo inet loopback
InstallationDate: Installed on 2013-11-06 (555 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 13.10 "Saucy Salamander" - Release amd64 (20131016.1)
SourcePackage: network-manager-applet
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to vivid on 2015-04-27 (18 days ago)
nmcli-con: Error: command ['nmcli', '-f', 'all', 'con'] failed with exit code 9: Error: nmcli (0.9.10.0) and NetworkManager (unknown) versions don't match. Force execution using --nocheck, but the results are unpredictable.
nmcli-dev: Error: command ['nmcli', '-f', 'all', 'dev'] failed with exit code 8: Error: NetworkManager is not running.
nmcli-nm: Error: command ['nmcli', '-f', 'all', 'nm'] failed with exit code 2: Error: Object 'nm' is unknown, try 'nmcli help'.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Sean Sosik-Hamor (sciri)]

Some additional info: nm-applet is not just disappearing when changing networks, it will also disappear after resuming from sleep. I have found an interim workaround:

sciri@iko:~$ sudo service network-manager stop; sudo service network-manager start

That will at least get the nm-applet icon back without rebooting. I've changed the title accordingly.

[shoohuy (eyygsqvcbzugaxzpa)]

I have Xubuntu, with 3G modem internet (mobile broadband).
When I did a release-upgrade from 14.10 to 15.04, the nm-applet icon permanently disappeared. (After the lightdm logon, the nm-applet is visible for a few seconds, but then disappears.)
"sudo service network-manager stop && sleep 10 && sudo service network-manager start" does NOT get it back. Rebooting neither.
The "sudo nmcli connection up XX" works, this is the only way to access the internet.

$ sudo nm-applet
(nm-applet:3579): nm-applet-WARNING **: Cannot grab information for modem at /org/freedesktop/ModemManager1/Modem/0: No ModemManager support
(nm-applet:3579): nm-applet-WARNING **: ModemManager is not available for modem at /org/freedesktop/ModemManager1/Modem/0

[shoohuy (eyygsqvcbzugaxzpa)]

In /var/log/syslog :
kernel: [ 642.711026] nm-applet[2114]: segfault at 18 ip 0000000000432217 sp 00007fffbbb8bf80 error 4 in nm-applet[400000+51000]

[shoohuy (eyygsqvcbzugaxzpa)]

Some package-upgrades cured the problem? Or, it was a slight change in apt-get configuration what helped? (For example, disablink backports repository?)
Today (and that is not the first case as I remember) the nm-applet started and is working properly. Remained in the panel.
Moreover, it connected (via the HSDPA modem) automatically, no manual clicking was necessary. In the past, it always required to manually click to connect to the internet.
I hope it will keep this behaviour and willo not start crashing (aborting).

[shoohuy (eyygsqvcbzugaxzpa)]

No much luck.
Last few times (at session start) the nm-applet icon disappeared (after some time).

Interestingly the lack of the icon does not necessarily means lack of internet! At least sometimes, there was internet (ping, web) despite of the empty place of the nm-applet.
But, sometimes the internet, after some time (at the worst moments) was gone. :( And 'nmcli connection up XX' in most of the cases works but (as I remember) not always.